Adagio Edinburgh Royal Mile, which has opened inside Edinburgh’s renowned Old Sailor’s Ark building on the Royal Mile, has launched a campaign to gather memories and photos to celebrate the impact the Old Sailor’s Ark had on the city and its people, particularly in the early 20 th century and on to the post-war era.
In 1911 an old sailor, Captain Charles Taylor of the Merchant Navy, died leaving instruction in his will for a sum of money to be devoted to the welfare of the poor, a cause he held dear to his heart during his life. His instructions were for the money to be left to accumulate until is reached a substantial amount, which it did in 1932, then amounting to £91,000.
The money was spent, as per his instructions, on building the Old Sailor’s Ark on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile in 1936, with the sole intention of providing cheap meals to the deserving poor of Edinburgh.
As was his wish, a board of managing directors and representatives was gathered from Edinburgh’s many religious denominations, including; the Church of Scotland; the United Free Church of Scotland; the Free Church of Scotland; the Episcopal Church in Scotland; the Roman Catholic Church; the Congregational Church; the Unitarian Church; the Methodist Church; the Baptist Church; and the Church of Christ.
The board were instructed to find the location – choosing Canongate – and build the ‘Old Sailor’s Ark’ to house a restaurant and hospitality space with the specific purpose of feeding and sheltering those in need in the city. The intention was that the more people who use the facility the less the meals would cost – interestingly an intent mirrored in Adagio’s pricing structure today of the longer you stay the less you pay.
One report about the intention of the Old Sailor’s Ark said ‘if it makes it possible to live, and live well, on a shilling a day, then the gratitude of a great number of people who go hungry today will perpetuate the memory of an old sailor who could surely have wished no better memorial.’
The Old Sailor’s Ark lived up to the dying wishes of Captain Charles Taylor, serving one million meals a year to hungry Edinburgh families before and after the war. Commenting on the campaign, Jose Gomez, general manager Adagio Edinburgh, said: “As a hospitality business we were fascinated to look about at the history of the Old Sailor’s Ark building and discover it was steeped in hospitality. In the Captain’s name, a million meals were served every year to families and those in need in the city. This is a tremendous achievement and one which resonates just as vibrantly today.
To share your memories, please email sailorsark@mason-williams.com or message the team via Facebook
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